"I'm really getting too old for this.", Clavius mumbled to himself as he sat in the shade of a sorry excuse for a tree, massaging his sore feet. The tree was hardly more than a bush, roots dug deeply into the cracked soil.

Clavius was currently on his way to the city Riva, the last bigger city near the eastern borders of the civilized world. Beyond were only a few frontier villages and the huge forests where the elves resided. Save from a curious few the pointy eared tree huggers kept mostly to themselves, tending to their mother trees and sacred groves. He chuckled. After rescuing a pair of siblings from slavers and bringing them back to their tribe a few decades back he had earned the friendship of a tribe that usually killed outsiders on sight. Their abysmal birth rates meant that elven offspring were considered a miracle directly caused by the Great Tree by the elves and probably worth a not so small fortune on the slave auctions in the capital. He had stayed there for four years before returning to his adventuring life, but Sydor, a young wood elf had joined him, wanting to see the world. Well, 80 years was still considered a youngster in elven society.

Their party had gotten locally famous in no time, with the elven ranger as a backline and him as a frontline fighter they had cleared most of the nearby dungeons with ease. He had been their groups paladin, having trained himself a bit in healing and defensive magic while also being proficient with mace and shield. This was also how he had gotten to know and love his wife, Linda.

She had saved the two when they got lost in an underground labyrinth, they had gone in completely unprepared, overconfident because of their flawless record and drunk on constant praise. They had been half-delirious from hunger and thirst when she found them and when she gave them some of her food and water before she dragged them out, constantly cussing and spewing insults because of their foolishness, Clavius could have sworn they had met an angel. She had always been their voice of reason, the half-orc that joined not long after being as hot-headed as the other two.

This particular friend had, after the death of his wife and following decision never pick up a weapon again, offered him to join him in settling down in one of the younger villages close to the forest. That had been almost forty years ago.

Linda, his wife had died from a disease his healing magic had been no match for back then. The services of a highly skilled healer would have cost many times more than they could have afforded. They had travelled to the capital and he had spent weeks begging in front of opulent mansions, swearing he would pay them back. In the end it was all for naught and his beloved wife had withered away before him.

Full of regrets he had spent his next years traveling the world alone, stopping in big towns and small villages alike, healing injuries, curing diseases and purging curses free of charge until his light magic had reached levels unheard of before.

Status   Name Clavius Whitefell Level 207 Health 355/355 Mana 756/756 Classes Paladin, Light Mage

Stats       Strength 53 Wisdom 188 Vitality  68 Intelligence 136 Dexterity  45 Luck 24

Affinities   Light 89% Fire 23% Water 8% Earth 7% Air 4% Darkness 2% Nature 2%

Skills     Healing Magic Master 8 43% Chains of Light Expert 5 23% Greater Blessing Expert 3 2% Cooking Intermediate 2 45% Meditation Intermediate 1 12% ...    

Titles Traveling Saint, Heart of Light, Oathbound

"A shame I can't heal old age yet.", Clavius muttered. Done with reminiscing he stopped massaging his soles, and put his worn leather shoes back on, getting back on the road, humming a song he learnt from the elves. It was a happy little tune.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

A couple of hours later, he saw a dust cloud approaching, and half an hour later a horse cart caught up with him. The horse slowed down, and the driver, a man with graying hair, cheerily called to him: "Ho, traveler, are you headed for Riva? Hop onto the seat next to me, it will be nice having someone to talk to besides my horse. This blasted half-desert is making me sick." Returning the greeting, Clavius thankfully climbed on next to the man and they continued their journey together.

As is turned out, the man was a peddler who regularly drove from further north and sold various commodities like basic metalware like pots and knives in the villages near Riva, and in turn brought back herbs and other alchemical ingredients, the villages being close to the forest.

By chance, Clavius goal, an unnamed village where his former companion resided was one of the villages the peddler would visit. As they both had lots of stories to share, the time passed quickly. The pair got along well and decided Clavius would help with some tasks such as setting up camp and guarding it at night and made good progress, Clavius had saved a good couple of days. Slowly the scenery started changing, the trees got bigger, and small patches of grass started appearing. The surroundings seemed more vibrant and green with every passing hour.

It was already nearing dawn when the horse-drawn cart finally arrived at the village, the last few days having been delightfully uneventful.